Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) Step 10: Continue to Take Inventory & Admit Mistakes

Recovering from alcohol addiction and misuse can be challenging, but support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) can help people get and stay sober.¹ The 12 steps are the foundation for the AA program, which guides people in their journey toward recovery so they can become happier, healthier, and alcohol-free.¹

Step 10 of Alcoholics Anonymous involves the culmination of the previous 9 steps in a practical way, so that people may apply it to their daily lives.² This article will take an in-depth look at step 10 and help you understand how to complete it.

What Is Step 10 of Alcoholics Anonymous?

AA step 10 states that we continue “to take personal inventory” and when we are wrong, we promptly admit it.²

Compared to the previous 9 steps, which focus on admitting and facing the reality of your alcohol misuse and its effects, step 10 provides a clear way for you to make peace with yourself right now.^1,2 It sets the stage for long-term sobriety by helping you develop a resilient, peaceful mindset, and is based in mindful awareness of the present moment, which can help you meet challenges as they arise.²

What Is the Purpose of Step 10 of AA?

The purpose of step 10 of AA is to help people correct negative actions and behaviors in the here and now to prevent the accumulation or avoidance of these feelings and behaviors that could contribute to alcohol use.² Continually examining your strengths and weakness can help you maintain emotional balance, with a focus on purposeful living and staying sober.²

Step 10 encourages a commitment to sobriety through an ongoing personal inventory, which refers to a patient and thorough examination and admission of wrongdoings and flaws in the present moment.²

There are many types of inventories that you can perform, such as:

• A spot-check inventory in the immediate moment. This might occur when you become aware of having engaged in a behavior that caused harm to you or someone else.² It is not intended for reflection over ongoing difficulties, which is better accomplished with one of the other inventories mentioned below.² A spot-check inventory can be especially helpful for dealing with and calming strong emotions or situations, such as when you feel that things might have gotten out of control, and cultivating self-restraint for the future.²
• A daily inventory, performed at the end of each day, where you examine what went right and wrong, and think about how you might correct or avoid harmful thoughts and behaviors in the future.² Daily review can help you develop a more mindful attitude, promote increased awareness about your underlying motives, and help you deal with negative or unhelpful actions and behaviors should they arise again.²
• A periodic inventory with the assistance of your sponsor or your AA group, where you examine and discuss behaviors or actions over the past week, month, or a specific time period.² Discussion with others can provide feedback and insight, and also provide benefits such as learning from others on how they have dealt with similar situations and behaviors.

Step 10 is an ongoing process, so it’s not something that you accomplish once. It can involve a continuous examination of your assets and liabilities throughout your life.² Working on this step can strengthen your self-awareness so you immediately admit errors and take corrective actions.²

How to Complete Step 10 of AA

Insight into your underlying motives, ongoing self-awareness, patient examination of flaws, and the development of self-restraint are key features of step 10.²

Being willing to undergo an honest self-analysis is required to admit to your faults, as well as be able to forgive when the fault is not yours but someone else’s.² Keep in mind that it’s not about constantly reprimanding yourself, so be sure to acknowledge the positives and practice gratitude when things go well.²

Here are some tips for how to complete step 10 of AA:

• Develop insight and self-restraint. You might ask yourself, “Am I doing to others as I would have them do to me today?”²
• Aim to make progress, not strive for perfection.²
• Don’t feel discouraged when things don’t go the way you think they should have.² It’s not unusual to feel overwhelmed by this step. Try to keep in mind that making and maintaining changes isn’t easy, and everyone faces obstacles throughout recovery.
• Be kind to yourself and others.² Try to be more understanding of people you dislike and imagine what it might be like if you were in their shoes.
• Learn how to identify, admit, and correct your flaws on an ongoing basis. This can involve talking to your therapist or sponsor, keeping a journal, meditating, engaging in prayer, or engaging in another technique that works for you to develop more self-awareness.
• Include an acknowledgment of what’s gone well in your daily inventory.² Be grateful for the blessings you have received and the accomplishments you have achieved.

How Step 10 of AA Fits Into Your Recovery Journey

Step 10 involves the practical applications of the previous 9 steps, which have prepared you for your new, sober life.² At this point in your recovery, you are ready to focus on making positive changes in your daily life.

Step 9 prepares you for step 10 by helping you make “direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.”¹ Step 11 focuses on developing your sense of spirituality and says that we “sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.”¹

Participating in AA often leads to positive outcomes, such as improved rates of abstinence, self-efficacy, and healthier coping and relapse prevention skills.³ 12-Step programs, including AA and Narcotics Anonymous (NA), have also been positively correlated with achieving and sustaining longer periods of abstinence, improvements in psychosocial functioning, and greater levels of self-efficacy.⁴

How to Find a 12-Step AA Program

If you’re interested in finding a 12-Step AA program, you might search online or look at AA’s website, which provides contact information for local organizations that can offer you a list of meetings in your area. Meetings are available throughout the U.S., so you can always find one regardless of whether you’re on vacation, traveling for work, or moving to a new city or state.

People may start the AA process during rehab as a component of group therapy, and rehabs also often offer or encourage attendance at AA group meetings.⁵ Based on your unique needs, rehab may involve a combination of levels of care, including:

• Medical detox, which offers medical supervision and support so you can safely and comfortably undergo alcohol withdrawal.⁶
• Inpatient addiction treatment, also known as residential treatment, which involves living onsite 24/7 at a rehab in a substance- and distraction-free, supportive environment where you can completely focus on your recovery.⁶
• Outpatient addiction treatment, where you can live at home but will need to travel to rehab on a regular schedule to participate in treatment.⁶ Treatment schedules are generally flexible, so you should be able to keep attending to your daily responsibilities, such as school, family, or work.
• Intensive outpatient addiction treatment programs, which are more supportive outpatient programs that provide 9 to 20 hours of weekly treatment.⁶
• Partial hospitalization rehab programs, or high-intensity outpatient programs, which are highly supportive outpatient programs offering daily treatment for 4 to 8 hours daily.^6,7
• Aftercare programs, which provide ongoing support to help you maintain recovery and can include interventions like AA, sober living, or individual or group counseling.⁶

Start Your Recovery

If you are interested in a 12-Step program or are already a member of one, you can also benefit from rehab. Professional addiction treatment can help people safely stop drinking, achieve and maintain sobriety, and develop healthier lives, and AA can potentially enhance these benefits.^5,6

You can use the recovery.org directory to locate rehabs in your area.

Read More About the 12 Steps

• Step 1
• Step 2
• Step 3
• Step 4
• Step 5
• Step 6
• Step 7
• Step 8
• Step 9
• Step 11
• Step 12
• AA Big Book
• AA Promises
• AA Recovery Programs
• AA Frequently Asked Questions